


Snooping Sokka

by TheaterQueen



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode: s03e04 Sokka's Master, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 08:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30052974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheaterQueen/pseuds/TheaterQueen
Summary: Sokka has a bit of down time during his training with Piandao, so what else is he gonna do other than snoop around and try to figure out more about his new master. Turns out, Piandao was willing to share more than Sokka ever expected.
Relationships: Jeong Jeong/Piandao (Avatar), Lu Ten & Piandao, Piandao & Sokka (Avatar), Piandao & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	Snooping Sokka

**Author's Note:**

> Don't ya just love it when you're sitting in church and a random one shot pops into your head so you end up writing it down in like an hour.
> 
> Yeah that's what happened here, but hey i:'m happy with it, so enjoy.

Master Piandao had given Sokka an hour of time to rest before they continued on with his training. Of course that would have been fine if Sokka hadn’t grown bored within the first 15 minutes. He’d already tried walking around the garden or actually practicing his calligraphy, but even that couldn’t keep his attention long. 

So really, what else was he supposed to do other than carefully look around Piandao’s massive estate. It wasn’t snooping, he just wanted to get to know a bit more about his new master. It’s not like the older swordmaster would just casually be in the same place as Sokka, so what was the harm in looking around. 

Maybe he’d actually be able to get a good read on the guy. The stone-faced man revealed hadn’t all that much about himself, so Sokka was curious.

After a bit of wandering, Sokka eventually came to a hallway covered in paintings and portraits. Many of them were different landscapes, no doubt done by Piandao himself if the painting exercise he’d made Sokka do was anything to go by. 

There were some portraits with Piandao and another man in it. Maybe a husband? One was when they were obviously both quite a bit younger, probably early 20s. Another of them a while later, the husband(?) in Fire Nation Admiral robes, obviously kept in a perfect condition and Piandao in his own army uniform. The next one, both were just a bit older than that second one, though now neither of them wore army uniforms instead opting for more casual clothing. There was just one more of the two, maybe ten years or so after that third one, but after that, Sokka couldn’t see any more with the mystery man.

After those pictures, another one caught his eye. It wasn’t that old looking, maybe five years ago give or take. In it stood Piandao between two kids. One a tall teenager who’s hair was pulled back into a tight topknot, eerily similar to the one Piandao kept his hair in constantly, and a kind smile. The other kid couldn’t have been older than 8. His hair pulled up into a high ponytail and was sporting a huge, toothy grin. There was a small smile on Piandao’s own mouth; small enough that had Sokka not been looking for it he would have missed it.

Sokka didn’t think he’d seen Piandao smile in the whole time he’d been here, which was odd since Sokka had been making sure to always deliver his best jokes. Come to think of it, Piandao and Bato would probably get along, what with not knowing how to appreciate a great sense of humor.

Looking back at the picture, Sokka studied it a bit more. For some reason, the kid looked so familiar to Sokka, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Sokka,” Piandao spoke from behind him, sending Sokka jumping a couple feet into the air. “There you are. Fat had said you disappeared a while ago. I had a feeling you’d end up here.”

Once Sokka’s heart stopped pounding in his ears and feeling like it was going to jump out of his chest, he asked his master, “Who are they?” He gestured to the mystery man on the wall and the boys in the picture.

Piandao’s face was overcome with fondness. “My husband. He was an Admiral before he deserted years ago. I haven’t heard from him much in recent time.”

Sokka had been right about that at least. “So are those your kids?”

“No, we never had children. There was never a good time; they were my students.” He chuckled, “You know, you remind me a lot of him, what with your stubbornness and determination.” He pointed to the younger of the two boys in the picture. He continued, “I wasn’t even supposed to train him, but each time he came here with his cousin Lu Ten, he would always ask if he could learn how to use a sword too.”

Lu Ten. Sokka recognized that name.

While he’d been on the ship, waiting for Aang to recover from getting zapped by Zuko’s crazy sister, he’d started studying all he could about the Fire Nation and the royal family. Lu Ten had been Iroh’s son, but the guy had died during the 600 day siege of Ba Sing Se. Apparently not long after that, Iroh disappeared, Firelord Azulon died, and the current Firelord’s wife also vanished, leaving Ozai as the only person eligible to claim the throne (pretty fishy smelling if you were to ask Sokka). And if that older boy in the picture was Lu Ten, then the other kid- his cousin -had to be Zuko?

“That’s Zuko?” Sokka whispered, mostly to himself, trying to process how that adorable looking kid was the same angry ponytail-jerk that had chased them around most of the world for months on end (and who Katara now completely despised for some reason she still hadn’t told him).

“Indeed. The young prince has always been so desperate to prove his talent and worth to the Firelord, that I eventually took him on as a student. He was a natural. A true prodigy. He earned his master status in just over a year, and in dual dao swords no less. After that he was summoned home to the palace. I haven’t seen him since, but from the stories I know, I wish I’d never let him leave.”

Sokka was shocked by all he’d already heard from Piandao, but he wanted to know more. “What happened?”

Piandao stayed silent for a moment, his gaze slipping from the portrait out the window. An anger washed over his face and Sokka wondered if he’d asked too much, but then Piandao started talking again.

“Prince Zuko attended a war meeting where a general planned to sacrifice a division of young, untrained soldiers. He stood up against it and for that he was forced to fight in an Agni Kai, a firebending duel,” he explained at Sokka’s confusion, “When he turned to fight, the Firelord stood in place of the General Zuko had opposed. He begged for mercy and in turn was burned and banished, sentenced to sail the world only able to return with the Avatar in his possession.”

Sokka thought of the guy who was always yelling or throwing fire at Sokka and his friends, who was always just so angry about everything all the time. He supposed if this truly was his backstory then that anger made a lot of sense. Sokka would be pissed off all the time too if his dad had burned half his face off then banished him (not that his dad ever would have, but in the scenario he did…).

“Though I should be proud my student had two of the four highest bounties in the Fire Nation.”

“How does that work?”

Piandao grinned, “He held third as Prince Zuko before returning to Caldera alongside Princess Azula after the fall of Ba Sing Se. And he’s held fourth, though now probably third again, as an enemy to the Fire Nation; the Blue Spirit.”

“What?”

“Who else is skilled enough with dual swords to be able to break the Avatar out of the most guarded stronghold in the Earth Kingdom, and that’s not even including the help of the Yuyan Archers. Plus if it involved screwing with Zhao, Zuko would have been all over it.”

What? Aang hadn’t mentioned any of that before. When had he gotten captured by Zhao?

“Anyways, I think it’s time we continue your training. You have much to learn before you forge your own sword.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wish we'd gotten more Piandao and Sokka interaction, but sadly we did not. Thank you so much for reading! ❤


End file.
